Academic

Was this consensual mating?

By Tung Yin

I have a fascination with hybrid animals, like ligers, but I also wonder how many of these unusual offspring matings are in any sense consensual.  I mean, I realize that consent in the animal world is going to be judged by different standards than in the human world, but still, you have to ask what the female is thinking when approached by a strange creature. . . .

Anyway, a zedonk (zebra-donkey hybrid) was born recently in an animal preserve:

Donkeys and zebras don't usually mate, but zedonks turn up occasionally.

Well, it's diversity, I suppose.

Full post as published by The Yin Blog on July 27, 2010 (boomark / email).